Amanullah Khan

Amanullah Khan (1 June 1892-25 April 1960) was the ruler of Afghanistan from 28 February 1919 to 14 January 1929, succeeding Nasrullah Khan and preceding Inayatullah Khan. Amanullah was the founder of the Kingdom of Afghanistan, assuming the title of "King" in 1926.

Biography
Amanullah Khan was born in Paghman, Emirate of Afghanistan in 1892, the son of Habibullah Khan. He served as Governor of Kabul and commanded the army and the treasury before becoming King in 1919, and he managed to free Afghanistan of British influence after defeating the British in the Third Anglo-Afghan War of May-August 1919. Amanullah used his influence to modernize the country, creating new cosmopolitan schools for both boys and girls and overturning the strict dress code for women. He also advocated a modernist constitution that incorporated equal rights and individual freedoms. In 1924, this program led to the Khost rebellion, a sign of the conservative backlash against Khan's reforms. During a visit to Europe from 1927 to 1928, opposition to Amanullah's rule increased, and an uprising in Jalalabad culminated in a march to the capital. Much of the Afghan National Army deserted rather than resist, and Amanullah decided to abdicate and go into exile in British India, leaving the kingdom to his brother Inayatullah Khan. He died in exile in Zurich, Switzerland in 1960 at the age of 67.